Bite Beauty Lip Lab San Francisco

Wednesday, March 15, 2017


Let me tell you about one of the coolest experiences of my life so far. 

On the corner of Sutter and Fillmore Street in San Francisco is the Bite Beauty Lip Lab. One of only four locations in the world, this little shop isn't just a place to buy Bite Beauty makeup. Oh, no.


It's called a Lip Lab for a reason.



It all started when I made an appointment for the Bespoke lipstick experience a couple of days prior. On the day of the appointment, Mom and I walked into the Lip Lab. 

I thought I knew what to expect based on what I saw on YouTube. I had what lipstick colors I wanted in mind (including names!), but it was a whole different ballgame when the technician pulled out an entire tray full of colors. It was like an artist's palette, but with any lipstick I could think of or imagine. 

Still, I stuck with exactly what I wanted; one blush pink, the other a bubblegum shade with a violet kick. And I chose a matte finish, which, in Bite Beauty terms, means a creamy, no-shimmer base. No chalky mattes here.

So, the technician (shoutout to Rhianna, who was AWESOME and totally got my vision) went to work. She first put together a version of "Savannah in Wonderland" (the blush pink) that was more orange-leaning. 


"Savannah in Wonderland", version 1

I decided to definitely go more pink - since I modeled this shade after this blog - and once she added that extra pink pigment, it was perfect. (In fact, comparing it to this website, I can't believe how well it actually matches.)



"Savannah in Wonderland", version 2; the winner!

Next, she went to work on the second bubblegum/violet shade, "We're All Mad Here." Rhianna got the shade exactly perfect on the first go, and I fell in love with it immediately.


"We're All Mad Here"

Finally, I got to pick some scents. I chose cherry, and y'all, it smells like cherry Kool-Aid.


Once we had the two shades down, we went over to the actual lab to have the lipsticks made. She whipped together larger chunks of the pigments, put them each in the microwave, softened them, and put them in molds. Then, after in sitting in dry ice for a few minutes, the molds came off, and I had two lipsticks.






It's one thing to have your lipsticks be mixed together on a piece of plastic, but it's another ballgame entirely once they're in tubes.



Overall, this experience was a dream come true. If I had the opportunity to do this again, I would, and with the same colors, too. (They make a color profile for you that has the "recipes" for each lipstick so you can reorder them easily.)

If you want to do this, you can. It's $150 for the entire appointment, and it took about an hour for the consultation and for everything to be mixed and made. Plus, you get a goody bag filled with lip scrub, a lip mask, and a lip primer/liner.

If you prefer a less expensive (and faster) option, though, there's a $55 option where you can choose just a premade color, a finish, and a scent (and for two, it's $80). But I can't recommend the custom experience enough to y'all.

If you do decide to go for the Bespoke option, here are some tips:
  • Know what you want beforehand. Do some research. Look at your own makeup collection. Do you find yourself looking for specific shades, but find they just don't work with your skin tone? Do you have favorite colors that you would prefer to wear everyday, but would rather them be more sheer or more pigmented? Need that perfect shade of red, but can't find it? Those situations would be perfect for this appointment.
  • Make an actual appointment to do this. Walk-ins are welcome, but there are quite a few who come in parties, so keep that in mind. It's best to make an appointment a couple days in advance at least by calling them ahead of time.
  • Work with your technician, and don't be afraid to speak up if something's not exactly the way you want it. Explaining your vision further and as clearly as you can will be helpful for you both. She's there to make your dream lipstick, so make sure you're in love with it. 
  • Most of all...have fun!!

If you go to the San Francisco location, ask for Rhianna (and tell her I said hi!). Otherwise, you can go do this in San Jose, New York, or Toronto (for all you amazing Canadians). 


Would you go do something like this? What lipstick would you make? Let me know in the comments! :)

San Francisco | Plannercon & Adventures

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

I. Love. San. Francisco. Well, I adore California, but I adore this hilly city's quirks and charm.

Mom and I took a long weekend this past weekend and headed out west to Plannercon 2017. This time around, we would be planning (literally), workshopping, and actually shopping in Burlingame, a town just south of the city.

But beyond that, the city of San Francisco was ours. And it was awesome. :)

Here is a little recap of Plannercon, our city adventures, and so much more.

Plannercon 2017

As mentioned earlier, Plannercon took place south of San Francisco proper in Burlingame, which is about 20 minutes south. This was the first year for the convention, and - in my opinion - it was a rousing success. 










Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed the workshops we went to, and it was so cool to sit in a room with so many women who not only wanted to decorate their planners, but also set goals for their actual lives and use their planners to further their dreams. Plus, we got to do a faith-based journal workshop hosted by Cori Spieker of The Reset Girl. I learned so much from her, both from the journal workshop and her keynote speech.

We also enjoyed the shopping, too. ;)

City Adventures

Before, between, and after Plannercon activities, we still had time to explore San Francisco. I had not been to this city since I was 15 (and I'm 25 now!), so I was excited to revisit this city after a decade.











Here are some of the highlights:

  • JapanTown!
  • Castle in the Air store in Berkeley
  • Honey Honey Cafe and Crepery (best. Breakfast. Burrito. Ever.)
  • Fillmore & Sutter Streets (great shopping!)
  • Bite Beauty Lip Lab (stay tuned till tomorrow for a full post on this...it was that incredible of an experience!)

And that, dear reader, was my San Francisco recap! :) Thanks for reading!

February Favorites | 2017

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Goodness gracious, where has the time gone? It's like February just started.

But, here we are, and March is now upon us. I like March; it's a sign that Spring is coming just around the corner, and I personally have a ton to look forward to this month.

But today, I wanted to show y'all what my favorite things were this past February. :)

Beauty

Two things:

One, my concealer of choice this month was the Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème. This concealer is epic in its coverage and in its shade range, and it's amazing how well the concealer matches my skin. This concealer is so thick that I will sometimes just use this in lieu of foundation and then maybe set it with powder if I'm so inclined.

Two, Pokémon makeup.

Yes.

You heard me right.

Pokémon. Makeup.


Tonymoly (my favorite Korean skincare brand) partnered with Pokémon to create a cosmetics and skincare line that's legitimately awesome. I loved the packaging anyway, but I didn't expect to love the actual products as much as I did.

Here are my personal favorites from the line:

Music

Here are my top 5 songs of February:
  1. "Something Just Like This" - The Chainsmokers feat. Coldplay
  2. "Stay" - Zedd feat. Alessia Cara
  3. "It Ain't Me" - Kygo feat. Selena Gomez
  4. "Believer" - Imagine Dragons
  5. "Mad Hatter" - Melanie Martinez
And this month, I made my first purchase at a local record shop (shoutout to Luna Record Shop in Franklin!) since getting my record player for Christmas!


Usually, I buy specific albums I want from Amazon or Urban Outfitters, but I love going to local shops because not only is it fun to search through crates of albums, but I love getting to talk about music with the people that work there.


Food

I've ventured into the world of Acai bowls...and I like them a whole lot!


Franklin Juice Company at the Factory does some really great ones. I got the Standard Bowl, which had strawberries, goji berries, honey, acai, bananas, coconut shavings, and granola. 10/10, would get again.

Bible Verses

And here are the Bible verses I loved this month:

"For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock."
- Psalms 27:5

"God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns."
- Psalms 46:5

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
- Exodus 14:14

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart."
- Psalm 27:14a

And those are my favorites for the month! :) What were your favorite things in February? Feel free to let me know in the comments!